Arrival
by OurGloryDays
Summary: Berwald had made a promise, one that he intended to keep and hold and cherish because a promise between him and Tino was something to never be broken. Especially when he felt he had so much riding on those words. Human-AU


Checking his watch, Berwald realized that he had been waiting here for eight hours- well, seven and forty-two minutes, exactly. Surely he could have gone home, eaten several decent meals and watched a few movies in his wait-time, but he had made a promise, one that he intended to keep and hold and cherish because a promise between him and Tino was something to never be broken. Especially when he felt he had so much riding on those words.

He'd played the scene over, and over, and over in his mind. A hundred times, a thousand times, more, probably. Tino's departure, that is. It was unexpected and cut a little too short for his liking but as much as he thought about it, as much as he analyzed every second of their friendship, tried to understand the meaning, tried to come up with reasonable doubt for Tino's actions, he just couldn't find a logical _friendly_ reason for why Tino did it.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair, pulling on the lobe of his ear before finally crossing his arms over his chest and reclining further into his seat. Surveying the people around him, he realized that several of the people in the nearby chairs and benches and windowsills had also been waiting for the severely delayed train. His cell phone was clinging to life, his headphones long-ago tucked into his front pants-pocket, his wallet causing his left cheek to become numb and his car keys dug uncomfortably into his thigh.

But he was excited. So terribly excited and fearful for what he had planned, the words that had been swimming in his head and occasionally graced his lips in the privacy of his bathroom, naked, with only his mirrored image to witness through fresh steam and contradictory complete clarity of his thoughts. Oh, how he would love a shower right now, he thought, hoping his cologne hadn't worn off yet and his deodorant would hold him through his nervous moment with Tino, protecting him from such embarrassing things as smell and sweat.

He cleared his throat, thirsty, but afraid to get up and lose his seat, so he stayed put, bringing his right ankle to his left knee and lulling his head against the wall behind him. With his ears attentive, he allowed his eyes to close, listening intently for train number 743 from Seattle to be announced as arrived. Until that moment, he let his thoughts drift, or rather repeat, and he begins thinking of that ill-timed moment of Tino's departure.

"_It's only three months, I'll be back before you know it!" said Tino, smiling and pulling his carryon rucksack over his shoulder. He shifted from foot to foot; nervous and glancing from Berwald to the train he was departing on. "Laos isn't that far away…" he joked, eyes still on the train, as if he himself couldn't believe it._

_A line had formed at the entrance of Tino's train car, an attendant checking tickets and informing people of where their cabins or seats were, and directing others to different cars, telling them they were in the wrong place. _

"_If I get the chance, I'll call," Tino began, bringing Berwald's attention back to his best-friend, "if I can't call, I'll email," Tino wrapped his arms around Berwald's torso, hugging him tight, "if I can't email, I'll write." _

_Berwald was touched, sad, nervous, worried, upset, hopeful and happy for Tino. A bundle and mess of emotions, he was afraid of opening his mouth and spilling his deepest secrets to Tino, potentially ruining Tino's volunteer trip, and potentially ruining their friendship by telling Tino that he loved him. So, he opted to hug Tino close to him and take deep breaths, calming himself and only hoping for the best, but one thing lingered in his mind._

" '_n if ya can't write?" Berwald questioned, still holding Tino to him and mentally memorizing the feel of him in his arms, his warmth and his softness. _

"_Hmm…" Tino released his arms from Berwald's torso and Berwald followed suit, taking a small step back to admire Tino's face, his eyes, his apparel, the sound of his 'hmm'-ing and the small curve of his lips as he did so. "I'll…" Tino paused and glanced at the entrance to his car. Berwald looked too, and noted that there were only two other people in line, and that the other cars already had their doors shut, or only had one or two other people waiting to get on._

_Suddenly he was filled with a sense of urgency and need, as if Tino's departure had been unreal until this very moment and his mind went blank with nothing other than the fact that he wouldn't see Tino for three months, two weeks and four days and all he would have to think about during that time would be the possibility of a call or email or letter from Tino and he would wait every single day-_

"_Looks like I should get going…" Berwald returned his attention to Tino, noticing that he already had pulled his ticket from his back pocket, and he found himself pulling Tino to his chest and holding him tighter than a friend probably should but right now that didn't matter to him. "I'll miss you, Ber…" Tino whispered, a speck of sadness choking his words, only making Berwald want to comfort him more. _

"_I'll miss ya too, Tino." He sighed, lessening his hold and finally separating, resting his hands at his sides and trying to smile as best as he can for Tino. "I'll be righ' here when ya ge' back." _

"_Promise?" Tino's voice sounded hopeful and maybe peppered with a bit of sadness, but Berwald simply tried to admire the tone of it- the emotion available, to maybe trick himself into believing that Tino wanted to see him and be with him first- before anyone else- when he returns. _

_Berwald simply nodded, an 'I love you' tickling his tongue and forcing his mouth to stay shut before it made itself audible._

_Tino righted his shoulders, glancing at Berwald and letting his eyes linger, and Berwald wondered if Tino were trying to memorize him too, trying to have that image to hold onto, but, before he knew it, Tino was walking backwards, slowly, his lips pressed into an indecisive line and his brows furrowed gently. Berwald watched as he began to turn his torso, as he began to turn his back, and then as he suddenly about-faced, rushing back to Berwald with a decided face._

"_I have to do this." Tino said- and without warning his arms were wrapped behind Berwald's neck, their chests pressed together, Tino was on the tips of his toes, and then, time slowed for Berwald. Tino's lips pressed sweetly against his own, for only the single shortest and longest moment of his life, but soon, too soon, before Berwald had time to kiss back, or even wrap his arms around Tino's midsection, Tino was drawing away, and Berwald was dazed, he was sure he looked like an idiot, but Tino was smiling and so was he, but Tino was also walking away and as soon as Berwald's mind had time to turn back on, Tino was stepping into the train car. Berwald watched his figure pass through the windows. He quickly neared the train, following Tino until he sat, and his figure fully disappeared, masked by __a curtain and the profile of a blond businessman._

It all happened too quickly for Berwald to make sense of anything. And to make matters worse, he'd never received any form of communication from Tino, though he saw him everywhere he went.

Usually it was brief and fleeting- he'd see someone with a shirt identical to Tino's in the grocery store, or someone who perfectly mirrored Tino's height. It would never fail to make him do a double take, his heart clenching painfully and sorely at the lack of contact and overflow of emotion at their hasty departure.

Other times he'd imagine them sitting together, on a date at a local café, or seeing a movie together, cuddling on the couch, cuddling under the covers, kissing, kissing more, kissing again and again and again- some sweet, like the one Tino had given, some passionate, some sleepy and others familiar. Berwald only hoped Tino's feelings hadn't changed over the time they'd been apart, and soon he found himself opening his eyes and checking his watch again- eight hours and six minutes.

He'd wait forever.

* * *

A/N: Hi! I am back. I lurk, and read, and lurk, and lurk on the interwebz some more when I'm not writing. But now I'm done lurking and I'm back to writing... It's horribly inconvenient that I like to write when school starts but then I totally don't write when I have no classes. Well anyway... This has been playing in my head forever and I finally got around to getting a portion of it done. There is more, I'm excited to say! Depending on which way I cut it and write it, two or three chapters more.

Well, that's all I have to say! I hope you all had an awesome New Year's and Christmachanakwanzika! Oh! and I hope you stick around for chapter two...

Xoxo, OurGloryDays


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